Campaign is Underway: How Significant is Chilima’s Absence?
The 2025 presidential campaign has reached its climax with candidates traversing the country daily. Yet, one figure is conspicuously absent — the late Saulos Klaus Chilima. His absence casts a long shadow over the election.
If Chilima were alive, what would his impact have been? Would he have contested under UTM, returned to DPP, or renewed his Tonse partnership with President Chakwera? And how would the political landscape look today?
Standing on a UTM Ticket
In 2019, Chilima, as UTM’s torchbearer, garnered 1,018,369 votes and became a central figure in the push for electoral justice. His campaign energy, eloquence, and charisma electrified the nation, particularly his iconic walk from Ndirande to Njamba Freedom Park.
Had he been UTM’s candidate in 2025, the campaign would have been more vibrant, and the political equation far more unpredictable. With Malawi’s 50+1 threshold, Chilima could once again have emerged as kingmaker, forcing a run-off and negotiating alliances from a position of strength.
Given his negotiating skills, Chilima might have built a formidable opposition bloc — bringing together UDF, PP, PDP, AFORD, Petra, and smaller parties under his leadership. That coalition could have presented the strongest alternative to MCP and DPP, positioning him as one of the most popular and “clean” candidates of this election cycle.
Supporting Mutharika and DPP
Chilima’s political journey began with the DPP, where he served as Peter Mutharika’s running mate in 2014. His fresh corporate image, youth appeal, and campaign brilliance were instrumental in that victory. However, he broke away in 2018, denouncing corruption and nepotism, and went on to form UTM.
Could he have returned to DPP in 2025? Politics has no permanent enemies, but such a move would have been fraught with contradictions. Still, Chilima’s return would likely have boosted DPP’s chances significantly, reclaiming a chunk of the 2019 vote he had taken away.
Supporting Chakwera and MCP
Chilima’s alliance with Chakwera in 2020 remains one of the most consequential partnerships in Malawi’s recent political history. Together, they not only challenged the flawed 2019 election but also delivered Tonse Alliance’s victory. Analysts widely agree that Chilima’s one million votes and nationwide appeal were decisive in securing Chakwera’s presidency.
Their campaign styles complemented each other: Chakwera consolidated MCP’s base in the central region while Chilima mobilized in the south, north, and among undecided voters. Despite tensions between their party followers, the two leaders remained on cordial terms until Chilima’s tragic death in June 2024.
Had he lived, a renewed Chakwera-Chilima ticket in 2025 would have been formidable. The million-plus votes Chilima carried in 2020 could have remained intact, potentially securing MCP’s re-election.
Chilima’s absence in this campaign is not just the absence of a candidate but of a phenomenon. His charisma, negotiating skills, and political courage reshaped Malawi’s political dynamics in less than a decade. How he would have played his cards in 2025 is now speculation — a strategy forever buried with him at Nsipe in Ntcheu.
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